Nurse practitioner vs physician assistant

Nurse Practitioner Vs Physician Assistant

The field of nursing is always growing and changing. Nurses make up the majority of workers employed in health care. There are many different career opportunities in this field, and the outlook is very good for the future. There are over sixty listed types of nurses. From an educational standpoint, nurses can receive certification and training all the way up to a Master’s or Doctorate degree.

Two of the top career choices available in the field of nursing are that of Nurse Practitioner, and that of Physician’s Assistant. To people who don’t know, they may seem like one and the same. There are several similarities between the two positions, but there are also key differences. So which is better?

Both of these careers require that the nurse work closely with patients. Both can include examinations, as well as some diagnosis and treatment of disease. Both careers are only available to nurses who have received an education and certifications to become a registered nurse. And both careers allow for employment in a variety of settings.

The job duties of a physician’s assistant are very similar to that of a nurse practitioner. During the course of a typical day they will interact with patients. They will diagnose various ailments, and be able to prescribe treatment methods and medication for some of them. A physician’s assistant can order tests like x-rays and blood work, and will be able to use the results to further diagnose the patient.

Like a nurse practitioner, a physician’s assistant can also choose to specialize in a particular area of medicine. This allows a nurse to choose what direction they want to go with their career. Some work in pediatrics, where there can never be enough nurses. Others choose things like geriatrics, emergency medicine or internal medicine. Each new specialization adds on more responsibilities, and may also require the nurse practitioner to continue their education.

A nurse practitioner must also first become a registered nurse. However, a nurse practitioner doesn’t stop there. They are required to hold a Master’s Degree or its equivalent. They are also required to work in various areas of medicine in order to gain more clinical experience. This clinical experience is generally hands-on and can be very beneficial to the nurse practitioner who is trying to improve in areas like diagnosis and treatment methods.

A nurse practitioner can choose to specialize in many different areas of medicine. Most will choose two, so as to increase the scope of services they can provide their patients. Some of the areas available to these nurses are, public health, psychiatry, pediatrics and acute care. Some of the others include family nursing, geriatrics, and oncology.

Nurse Practitioner Vs Physician Assistant salary

A nurse practitioner can make around $74,000 a year, in most places. That figure may go up or down, depending on the location, and the field of medicine the practitioner is specializing in. The physician’s assistant can make around $69,000 a year in most areas. There are a few reasons for this disparity. The nurse practitioner is required to attend four more years of college in order to become a practitioner. A nurse practitioner can work without the supervision of a doctor, whereas a physician’s assistant cannot.

A nurse practitioner is allowed to do most things a doctor can do, including open their own practice. A physician’s assistant only works with doctors. A physician’s assistant is limited in the number of treatment options they are able to offer their patient, whereas a nurse practitioner is not. The only thing a nurse practitioner cannot do is perform major surgery. That requires a surgeon.